tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11559807376548827832018-03-08T07:11:08.286-08:00Emily's WorldEmily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.comBlogger543125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-41213854346289160172015-03-22T22:31:00.000-07:002015-03-22T22:31:02.455-07:00Ways to Obtain Peace<br /> <div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Do you ever feel like life is hard? Do you feel overwhelmed with balancing life? We have so many responsibilities that pull us in varying ways. I was feeling particularly overwhelmed back in January with life when a friend messaged me out of the blue and asked if I wanted to go to the temple with her the next day. My gut reaction was no but as I paused to think about it I was like why not. So I said yes! I was so glad I did! As I sat in the temple pondering life and trying to take in as much of the peace we can receive at the temple I felt a very strong impression that I just needed to put the Lord first and that everything else would fall into place or off my plate. Feeling renewed I came home and I decided on rededicating myself to daily scripture study by reading all of the conference talks as I discussed <a href="http://emilysworldofthoughts.blogspot.com/2015/03/failing-at-challenge-but-trying-again.html" target="_blank">here</a> the other day. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The talk I started with was perfect for me another tender mercy from God. I read Elder Richard G. Scott’s talk “<a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/make-the-exercise-of-faith-your-first-priority?lang=eng" target="_blank">Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority</a>”. Elder Scott is a powerful speaker. I feel his love emanate from him as he talks. He is a serious speaker but he does it with love and concern for our wellbeing. His talk opens with the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and how they knew no pain or difficulties. “Because they had never experienced hard times, they did not know they could be happy. They had never felt turmoil, so they could not feel peace.” We discussed this principle in Relief Society at church a few weeks back about how we actually need to deal with our emotions and process all of our feelings to be able to feel the full range of emotions God has given us. While dealing with the pains of this life at times are difficult and overwhelming we can truly come to know and understand real joy and happiness. Thankfully we are not left alone in this world to suffer through our pains. Heavenly Father “prepared a way through the life of His perfectly obedient Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior, for His Atonement to overcome every difficulty that we may experience in mortality.” <strong><u>Every difficulty!</u></strong> Not some of them but every difficulty we face in this life, we can overcome it through over Savior’s atonement. I have personally felt this in my life with both large and small injustices of life. I would not be the person I am today without the healing power of the atonement. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Elder Scott continues on “that our purpose in coming here {here being earth} is to be tested, tried, and stretched.” He reminds us of four tools Heavenly Father has given us to help us navigate our time on this earth to help us to be able to find the peace that we need to be able to continue forward in faith. Do you know what the first tool is? Prayer! Elder Scott advises us to “Choose to converse with your Father in Heaven often. Make time every day to share your thoughts and feelings with Him. Tell Him everything that concerns you. He is interested in the most important as well as the most mundane facets of your life.” If you ever feel like you are alone or that no one wants to listen to you, go to your Father in Heaven. There is nothing too small that He doesn’t long to hear about. He is all knowing and can help guide, direct and teach us. It is easy (I know) to get lazy in our prayers. But Elder Scott tells us that one of the blessings of daily prayer is, “your heart will begin to fill with peace, buoyant peace. That peace will focus an eternal light on your struggles. It will help you to manage those challenges from an eternal perspective.” We all can use help in our daily struggles and the Lord is willing to help us if we just turn to Him and constantly reach out to Him. Elder Scott also calls out the importance of daily prayer to safeguard our children before they go out into the world each day. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The second tool is scripture study. I like this quote from Elder Scott, “We talk to God through prayer. He most often communicates back to us through His written word. To know what the voice of the Divine sounds and feels like, read His words, study the scriptures, and ponder them.” Have you ever experienced this? It’s a pretty amazing thing how while I am studying my scriptures an answer to a prayer comes to my mind and often it is not related to what I am specifically reading. It is a blessing from doing what God asks us to do and putting ourselves in a place spiritually where God can teach us and bless us. I mentioned earlier that Elder Scott is a serious speaker, he is very direct and does not beat around the bush. In regards to finding time to study the scriptures each day he says, “Don’t yield to Satan’s lie that you don’t have time to study the scriptures. Choose to take time to study them. Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!” That is very direct counsel from an Apostle of the Lord. Notice again though he doesn’t tell us how much time we need to spend studying the scriptures&nbsp;that is up to us and what we feel we can do each day. He promises us though that as we take time each day to study the scriptures, “…peace will prevail in your life. That peace won’t come from the outside world. It will come from within your home, from within your family, from within your own heart. It will be a gift of the Spirit. It will radiate out from you to influence others in the world around you. You will be doing something very significant to add to the cumulative peace in the world.” I want that peace in my home and in my life!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The third tool, and I struggle the most with this one, is having regular family home evening. I know it’s important and I want to do it. I just struggle to execute it. If you have any suggestions for doing family home evening I would love to hear them. Elder Scott’s counsel is to make it a priority and do it regularly. He shares of Sister Linda K. Reeves testimony of the importance of family home evening along with scripture study and prayer. “I must testify of the blessings of daily scripture study and prayer and weekly family home evening. These are the very practices that help take away stress, give direction to our lives, and add protection to our homes.” Sister Reeves is a very wise woman. I strongly urge you to earn your own testimony of these three crucial habits.” Elder Scott urges us to follow after her example and gain a testimony of the first three steps so far. I shared this in church today that I love how the leaders of our church don’t expect us to just blindly obey they want us to gain our own testimonies of the truths they share. We can come to know for ourselves if these tools will bless us. How? The best way is to put them to the test and see what fruits come from our labors. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">The fourth and last tool Elder Scott shares is temple attendance. He counsels “If you don’t have a temple recommend, qualify to get one. When you have a recommend, use it often. Schedule a regular time to be in the temple. Don’t let anyone or anything prevent you from being there.” I am trying to be better at my own personal temple attendance this year. I am working to find what my regular attendance can be and do it. As we attend the temple Elder Scott says, “...you are in the temple, listen to the words of the ordinances, ponder them, pray about them, and seek to understand their meaning. The temple is one of the best places to come to understand the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Seek Him there.” Christ’s spirit is very strong in the temple. He is the Prince of Peace so as we regularly go we shall receive more peace in our lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now if we do all these things (prayer, scripture study, family home evening and regular temple attendance) does it mean life will be free from all challenges? No! We are here to be tested and tried and to gain experiences and show to Heavenly Father that we will keep the commandments He has given us and the&nbsp;covenants we make with Him. So life will not be challenge free but if we use these tools we will be blessed with more peace of mind and peace to our heart to be able to face the challenges that come our way. I know this to be true. I am so grateful for my Savior and His willingness to atone for my sins, pains and sorrows. I felt His peace in January as His spirit told me to put Him first and everything will fall into place. I am continuing to strive to do just that as it is a process but I know it will get easier as I try to follow my Savior’s example and turn to Him for peace.<o:p></o:p></span></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-83494009692491386342015-03-19T22:41:00.001-07:002015-03-19T22:41:26.942-07:00Failing at a Challenge but Trying Again <br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have just finished reading all of the <a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/?cid=HP14GC&amp;lang=eng" target="_blank">Conference talks from October 2014</a>. I had attempted to do this back in November. A new friend of mine had found a challenge online to read the <a href="http://pinkpolkadotcreations.com/church-2/40-day-conference-reading-challenge-oct-2014/" target="_blank">conference talks in 40 days</a> and you would end on Christmas day or right before Christmas. I was really excited! I’ve tried to read the conference talks in the past and go back and glean more from the words of the prophets and other leaders of the church but I usually forgot or was distracted and it fell to the wayside. We are counseled to “ponder the truths we have heard” by President Monson in his last talk “<a href="https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/until-we-meet-again?lang=eng" target="_blank">Until We Meet Again</a>”. So again I was really excited to join in on this challenge and do what I know I should be doing. Though I didn’t really prepare myself very well for the challenge and I didn’t finish it. <o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Some time passed by and I had been sick (like 6+ weeks of being sick) and I wanted a blessing. I remember distinctly thinking I want a blessing but I don’t want to be chastised because I knew I wasn’t doing all that God wanted me to be doing. As soon as I had the thought of not wanting to be chastised, I remembered that often if we heed the words we are given from God we are blessed and strengthened. So after being chastised by my Heavenly Father in my blessing for not doing my scripture studies and drawing unto Him I got my act back together. <em>(Side note: I can truly testify of the importance of daily scripture study!!! If we make it a habit it becomes easier but if we start to let it slide, it will completely fall away and it becomes so much harder to make it a habit again!!!)</em> I went online and looked for ideas on how to really study the conference talks. I thought about it and decided I would highlight with a purpose. I’ve always highlighted things I’ve read in my scriptures and in the Ensign articles I read but I didn’t typically highlight with a purpose. I had 4 colors of highlighters so I came up with 4 topics or areas to look for in my studying of the conference talks.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w_PsMU0xG_Q/VQuyqwEOKjI/AAAAAAAADsQ/oBLE6_Q-77c/s1600/Conference%2BHighlighting%2BGuide.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w_PsMU0xG_Q/VQuyqwEOKjI/AAAAAAAADsQ/oBLE6_Q-77c/s1600/Conference%2BHighlighting%2BGuide.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="font-family: Calibri;">Pink = Guidance</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Green = Blessings/Promises</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Purple = Move me or touches my heart</span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Blue = References to the Savior and His Atonement<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Can I just say this really helped me to focus?! Sometimes when I do my scripture studies I start out really strong but then I kind of lose interest or focus but I want to be good so I just keep reading for the sake of reading my scriptures. Now don’t get me wrong it’s still a good thing but it’s better to be reading and actually taking something away or applying it to my life each time I am studying. And let’s face it there are some talks that just don’t really speak to us or stand out to us as amazing talks but by having my areas of focus it helped me to find things that I otherwise wouldn’t have noticed. I really have learned a lot! I feel so blessed having studied the words of our prophets and leaders of the church. And one thing that is cool about reading them is that they really are just like scriptures. Depending upon where we are in our life at the time of reading them they will speak to us differently. We can hear a conference talk and learn one thing but then as we go back and read it we can gain more insight! Such a blessing!</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNuKVwIyTNs/VQuytJmf3OI/AAAAAAAADsY/TKcnn2JKx3w/s1600/Conference%2BHighlighting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wNuKVwIyTNs/VQuytJmf3OI/AAAAAAAADsY/TKcnn2JKx3w/s1600/Conference%2BHighlighting.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve debated while I’ve been studying and making notes in my scripture study journal about sharing my thoughts and feelings. They say one way to tell if you’ve truly learned a principle is to share it. So I want to share what I’ve learned and hopefully learn from others as I do this and gain even further insights into the principles taught and shared at General Conference. General Conference is only 15 days away and I am excited as I prepare myself to be taught even more. I hope you too are excited to prepare yourself for the things God wants to teach us at this time in our life.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have you tried studying the conference talks? What has helped you to keep the things you learned from conference fresh in your mind?</span></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-29612643956696492352015-01-13T18:36:00.001-08:002015-01-13T18:41:15.087-08:00Lessons Through Trials<div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">Do you ever get a song stuck in your head?! For months now the song by the Police “Every Breath You Take” has been playing in my head but with the lyrics changed slightly.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; text-align: center;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">It goes a little something like this…<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">“Every breath I take<br />And every move I make<br />Every single day, every step I take<br />I’m in constant pain”<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">It always make me giggle a little bit to myself but it’s so true. I have been in constant pain for months now. My joints hurt and my muscles hurt. I have felt like a 90 year old woman who can hardly move or do things for herself sometimes. It’s amazing how much we take our bodies for granted when they work and function properly and then miss it so much when we can’t do simple things like open a door or zip up a jacket. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">But a week ago Thursday I finally got into a rheumatologist and was able to get a prescription that is 90 times better than the ibuprofen I’ve been living off of. I also got a cortisone shot in both of my shoulders so I can use them and it’s amazing! I can lift my arms above my head and I can pick up my babies without wincing. I was feeling so great the next night that I even started dancing in the kitchen a little bit and ran up the stairs. I felt like a new woman!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">So you might be asking yourself why on earth do I suffer from so much pain at only 31 years of age?! I ask that question frequently when I throw myself a pity party and think how unfair life is. The gene pool can be unkind! I have <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>psoriatic arthritis</u></i></b>. I have had psoriasis as long as I can remember on my elbows, knees and scalp. Apparently around the age of 30 the arthritis can kick in! Again lucky me and that gene pool of mine.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">There was a day several weeks back now where I came home from church and I was just in so much pain that I laid on my bed and cried. I was tired of hurting! I was tired of feeling like an invalid! I was tired of not being able to play on the floor with my kids! I was tired of being the mean wife and mommy because of the constant pain! I cried! And I cried! And I started crying unto the Lord! I cried for relief! I cried for patience! I cried for understanding! By the time I calmed down I felt so much better. I was at peace. I wasn’t doing the pity party anymore, I realized I needed to submit myself unto God and learn what He wants me to learn through this trial. I am so grateful for my Savior’s atonement that makes it possible to remove all pains if we truly turn to Him and take His yoke upon us. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">One thing I have learned again through this trial is to not judge others. We can look at someone and wonder what is wrong with them and make judgments about them when we know nothing of their situation or circumstances when we see them for that small window in passing. I’m still working on this but it has truly started to change my mind on how I view others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;"></span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 12pt; margin: 0in 0in 8pt; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span lang="EN" style="color: black; font-family: proxnov-reg; font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: &quot;Times New Roman&quot;;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, &quot;Times New Roman&quot;, serif;">I still have a long way to go to really change things and not totally rely upon pain pills for the rest of my life but I am on my way. I have some life choices to make like giving up SUGAR!!! I have several Dr. appointments still to really figure everything out as my body is one ball of mess! But I am grateful for Dr.’s and the knowledge they have to help us out. And most especially I am grateful for my Savior and His atonement and patience with me.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-84861769477136002642014-11-19T09:25:00.000-08:002014-11-19T09:25:33.833-08:00A Time and a Season! <div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I sat at my computer this morning messaging with a friend some words came out of me that caught me off guard. My eyes stung with warm tears as I realized how truly blessed I am again. Wow! What is it about us as women and mothers?! We are so hard on ourselves. We dismiss all the great things we are doing and accomplishing because it doesn’t match up to this ideal we have in our head or we haven’t accomplished <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>everything</u></i> on our to do list. Let’s face it that to do list is never going away! It only continues to grow!<o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Lately I’ve been feeling really down on myself. My children are growing so fast and while I am present I am not present as I would like since I work full time from home with them around me all day. My mind has been wandering to the future and what age my children will be when I am finally able to stop working. I’ve been focused on how hard it is to work and balance my kids and how unfair it is that I have to work at all. Which when I feel this way I feel even worse as I know I am so fortunate to provide for my family. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">As I was talking with my friend about schooling for my kids and where we hope to live some day after my husband is out of school some words came out that just opened my eyes again. I said there is a time and a season for everything! How blessed I am that for this small season I am able to provide for my family. How blessed I am that for this small season my son is going to a preschool that specializes in his needs to help him learn! How blessed I am that I have access to a speech therapist for my oldest daughter to teach her and me how to help her to speak! How blessed I am to be able to watch my children each day albeit sometimes more on the sidelines but I am not missing out on words being spoken, hugs being given, the ABC song being sung, Lego towers being built, or moments of cuddles in the middle of the day. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There will be a time and a season for me to be more fully devoted to my children. There will be a time and a season for my house to be perfectly clean. There will be a time and season where I can accomplish more on that to do list. Our lives are made of times and seasons some are longer than others and some are fleeting. They never feel fleeting in the moment though as we are bogged down with the weight of the world upon us. But who wants us to feel like this moment will never pass? Who wants us to think about what we are missing out on? Satan does. He wants us to be miserable in this life and in the life to come just like he is. But I don’t want to be miserable! I want to open my eyes and see the blessings that are pouring down from Heaven upon me. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I am so grateful for this season I have to be a mother! It is hard! It is challenging! But it is worth! My children are worth it!<o:p></o:p></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ecclesiastes Chapter 3:1-8<o:p></o:p></span></i></div><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:<o:p></o:p></span></i><br /> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;<o:p></o:p></span></i><br /> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;<o:p></o:p></span></i><br /> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;<o:p></o:p></span></i><br /> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;<o:p></o:p></span></i><br /> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;<o:p></o:p></span></i><br /> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;<o:p></o:p></span></i><br /> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.<o:p></o:p></span></i><br />Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-42259663900676682682013-11-18T16:43:00.002-08:002013-11-18T16:43:50.545-08:00Family Time at the Park<div style="text-align: center;"><em></em><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>We do our best to enjoy time outside together as a family as much as possible (for us). We decided to take our kids out to a park in Orem. We had checked it out partially before while trying to drive me around into labor (never worked). </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>The park was a little crowded at first for our taste but we waited it out and eventually the kids had the run of the play structure to themselves. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KnrD_T9pVU8/Uoqy9RwAtlI/AAAAAAAADqM/ZpenXKWk8Jk/s1600/3+Kids+Playing+at+the+park+Small+EDT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KnrD_T9pVU8/Uoqy9RwAtlI/AAAAAAAADqM/ZpenXKWk8Jk/s640/3+Kids+Playing+at+the+park+Small+EDT.jpg" width="347" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Benjamin had a blast climbing these steps and going down the slide in a sorts of different ways. Elizabeth ventured to the top a few times and came down the slide once or twice. Abigail slept snuggly on her daddy. (11/10/2013)</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J0e2r_gTllg/Uoqy946e3yI/AAAAAAAADqQ/2v20OZTBO_o/s1600/Feeding+Ducks+and+Swinging+at+the+Park+Small+EDT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-J0e2r_gTllg/Uoqy946e3yI/AAAAAAAADqQ/2v20OZTBO_o/s400/Feeding+Ducks+and+Swinging+at+the+Park+Small+EDT.jpg" width="400" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>I love how the sun affected several of my pictures!</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>There were ducks to feed and I had some crackers in the car that were stale so we tried to feed them. Benjamin didn't get the concept and would just eat the cracker pieces we gave him. I packed some food and we went for a walk and found a table to eat at and the kids had fun running around and coming back to the table for some more food.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>It was a good family outing! I love spending time with my family!</em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-29988878596118899082013-11-18T16:23:00.000-08:002013-11-18T16:23:02.455-08:00Going Home and Knocking on Doors<div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thankfully you only can really spend 48 hours in the hospital once you give birth (unless of course there are complications). I had asked about when I could expect to leave and since Abigail was born so late they were thinking after dinner time as they wanted to watch her for the full 48 hours almost (because of being such a large baby and watching her sugars which she passed all of her tests just fine). A different pediatrician came on and he said I could go home. I was able to go home after lunch. Hooray! </span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BiLSqRZ2k9M/Uoquco45X_I/AAAAAAAADp8/YtawF3siGxc/s1600/PB066358+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BiLSqRZ2k9M/Uoquco45X_I/AAAAAAAADp8/YtawF3siGxc/s320/PB066358+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></span></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I was so tired of the bed that I sat in the nice chair and Jared took the bed for awhile which Benjamin thought was great.</span></em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wsR8OgF9Os/UoqucsylFII/AAAAAAAADp4/t7IdZzWWXb4/s1600/PB066359+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1wsR8OgF9Os/UoqucsylFII/AAAAAAAADp4/t7IdZzWWXb4/s320/PB066359+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></span></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Elizabeth missed her mommy! And you know what Mommy missed her too!</span></em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">&nbsp;When we were finally ready to leave Benjamin saw me put my shoes on and got so excited! I love those moments when you can tell your children really do love and adore you. </span></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">One thing I noticed shortly after going home was that Benjamin learned something about doors. He learned doors are for knocking on. He goes around our house now knocking on doors and opening the ones he can. When we come home he runs to the front door and starts knocking. And he will knock until the door is opened. It is pretty funny to me. I talked to Jared about it shortly after noticing and he said it must be because Jared would knock before entering my room at all. Love it!</span></em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-23764432194005191622013-11-18T16:13:00.000-08:002013-11-18T16:13:02.474-08:00Alone at the Hosptial<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Being left at the hospital alone this time was strange and difficult for me. Every time Jared left I would cry. (I am an emotional person to begin with but I am going to blame some of it on the hormones.) Deirdre was so sweet and came back after leaving and offered to stay with me. I let her go home though as I knew the nurses would keep waking us up. I was fine after a few minutes but it was just so different. We decided Jared taking the kids home would be best as they don't deal well with Daddy alone at night as it is and we didn't want to stress anyone else out with their screaming. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Izma8grFek8/UoqrODlo2JI/AAAAAAAADpc/fOfhJSWuq28/s1600/Abigail+a+day+old+at+the+hospital+EDT+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="353" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Izma8grFek8/UoqrODlo2JI/AAAAAAAADpc/fOfhJSWuq28/s640/Abigail+a+day+old+at+the+hospital+EDT+Small.jpg" width="640" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Aunt Deirdre and Abigail on the left. Uncle Jason and Daddy on the top middle. Benjamin happily playing on the Surface on the bottom middle. Elizabeth passed out on the hospital bed on the right.</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;The next day Jason and Deirdre came back for another visit (to see me of course!). Aunt Deirdre got to hold Abigail and I got a nice picture of them together. Benjamin was so excited when he came back and saw mommy. Jared told me that when they were getting ready to leave he asked Benjamin about going to see mommy and that Benjamin booked it out the door and to the van. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>A small hospital room is rough for keeping kids happy and entertained. Elizabeth eventually passed out and Benjamin had fun playing on the bed. We just had to keep him from hitting the nurses call button. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_2xUmvFdPcI/UoqrUgC50qI/AAAAAAAADpk/5sMYKM_ehlY/s1600/PB056350+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_2xUmvFdPcI/UoqrUgC50qI/AAAAAAAADpk/5sMYKM_ehlY/s320/PB056350+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qp40rb2WUUw/UoqrUsKB-uI/AAAAAAAADpo/-e2r8ptW7G0/s1600/PB056353+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qp40rb2WUUw/UoqrUsKB-uI/AAAAAAAADpo/-e2r8ptW7G0/s320/PB056353+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="240" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>11/05/2013 I made the hair bow for Abigail for the hospital specifically. </em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Jared took the kids home again but was able to come back for a bit in the evening which was very nice. Jason and Deirdre watched the kids for awhile at our house which I learned each kid took a turn cuddling up with their Aunt and Uncle. </em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-64256822557129909472013-11-18T15:53:00.001-08:002013-11-18T15:53:13.376-08:00And Then There Were 3<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Abigail is two weeks old today and part of me is like how can it be two weeks already and the other part can't imagine life without her here now. The first few nights home with her were a bit rough and this mommy about had a breakdown as all 3 children wanted mommy all night long it felt like and I was not getting the much needed sleep! But come day 3 being home Abigail started sleeping for long chunks of time at night. Hooray! Sleep is so important! It makes for a much nicer mommy!</em></span><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YyLvfwqe5jE/Uoql_FcH0II/AAAAAAAADpM/idJkABpjGAE/s1600/Abigail+Christine+Born+11042013_edited-1+Small.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Abigail Christine Lutz was born on November 4th at 11:45pm. It was like she almost was going to make me wait one more day because waiting the 5 days past my due date wasn't hard enough. I could hardly breathe anymore which was one of the first things I noticed after not being pregnant anymore was I could finally breathe again (it wasn't all Utah's fault that I was lacking oxygen). She is my smallest baby so far at 9lbs 15oz (I know ha! Small! but for me that is small and she seems very small to me, which I think might be because I still see Elizabeth as a baby sometimes and she weighs about 24lbs. now) and measuring in at 20.5 inches long.</em></span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YyLvfwqe5jE/Uoql_FcH0II/AAAAAAAADpM/idJkABpjGAE/s640/Abigail+Christine+Born+11042013_edited-1+Small.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="577" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>Abigail getting weighed on the top. Uncle Jason with Benjamin on the left. Abigail in the middle with her fauxhawk. Elizabeth cuddling with mommy on the right.</em></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Once she decided to come she came quickly...only 3 pushes on one contraction. I was surprised when they said I was done. I almost didn't believe them but then I saw my beautiful Abigail. I had actually asked to be induced on day 3 of her being late as I was hurting and in pain. If I had made it to 41 weeks they were going to induce me anyways due to risks for both me and the baby. I prayed about it a lot and finally felt being induced was the right thing for me. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>We had Jared's brother Jason and his wife Deirdre there with us and Madison (one of my young women from WA who is here in Utah too). They were helping to wrangle Benjamin and Elizabeth. They actually got them to sleep which was great. Benjamin and Elizabeth fell asleep and were left in the room when Abigail was born. My amazing Dr. (Sarah Andrews...that is a fun story of finding her about two weeks before my due date and I am so glad that I did!) thought it was so cute how they were asleep through the whole thing. It didn't last though. With Abigail's crying they did wake up. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>After Abigail was born I was finally able to hold Elizabeth again which is all she wanted but holding her with the IV in my arm made me nervous. I cuddled with her for a bit though which helped to calm her back down. I tried to hold her during labor but I could only do it for so long and not the way she wanted to be held.</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>I am so grateful to be a mother of 3 beautiful and amazing children. Elizabeth and Abigail are barely 17 months apart but I know it will all work out. Benjamin and Elizabeth are still adjusting and I know it will take some time for them but I am excited to see their relationships blossom. </em></span></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-32601408548189234562013-10-26T11:37:00.003-07:002013-10-26T11:37:55.227-07:00Nesting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kQOkBpdKdbY/UmwLxxeQzsI/AAAAAAAADo0/9lOaMoa6lEM/s1600/PA266297+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kQOkBpdKdbY/UmwLxxeQzsI/AAAAAAAADo0/9lOaMoa6lEM/s320/PA266297+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I've been working on these cute little birds for weeks now (because I only have so much spare time). Today is my first day of 3 months of vacation (aka maternity leave) and since I'm still pregnant and not able to do a whole lot I decided to work on these birds some more. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Hlj93sEuWM/UmwL12yEcdI/AAAAAAAADo8/LoAz2236u_0/s1600/PA266300+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-8Hlj93sEuWM/UmwL12yEcdI/AAAAAAAADo8/LoAz2236u_0/s320/PA266300+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I am making them to build a mobile. The pattern can be found </em><a href="http://www.spoolsewing.com/blog/2008/05/16/bird-mobile/" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>. I've made 7 birds twice. We shall see how I decide to finish putting it together...I have a few different ideas but not sure just yet. </em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-22585139169501970852013-09-29T15:49:00.001-07:002013-09-29T15:49:03.721-07:00Our Past Month<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>I am trying to get back into the habit of capturing moments with my camera. I do get some with my cell phone as it is usually faster and closer at hand and share those on Facebook but for awhile my regular camera was just not being kept close by. I have moved it upstairs into my bedroom/office where the kids and I hang out most of the day. I do love how my new master bedroom is so big. There is the bedroom portion where our bed, dressers and TV are and then a big open space with a chair, lamp and bookshelf and then an alcove type area that is the home office. We've split it up into two desk spaces (one for me and one for our home computer and Jared's space for homework baring that I haven't covered it with other projects). </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>&nbsp;</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>So here are some highlights from the past month. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Benjamin loves to color! So much so that he doesn't understand what he can color on versus what he can't. Which means he loses his coloring privileges frequently! He even lost book privileges for awhile there. When he gets too quiet I know something is going on and unfortunately I don't always catch it in time because I am on a conference call and have headphones on that block out a lot of the sounds the kids are making if any. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wOWfGf1tld8/UkiqiECp8OI/AAAAAAAADok/kWUAdmNjAog/s1600/P8286163+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wOWfGf1tld8/UkiqiECp8OI/AAAAAAAADok/kWUAdmNjAog/s320/P8286163+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="240" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>08/28/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>I don't always like it when Jared has the camera and snaps pictures of me but I figured I would throw this one out there. I am happily crafting downstairs in my dining room on an idea I have been working on for months. More details to come!</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L80uKN887MY/UkiqfUubSiI/AAAAAAAADoc/ddCNrlrMWnA/s1600/P9116167+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="264" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L80uKN887MY/UkiqfUubSiI/AAAAAAAADoc/ddCNrlrMWnA/s320/P9116167+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>9/11/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>I've been finding a lot of blogs lately about ways to entertain your little ones and teach them things. One of the ideas I found (of course I forgot the source by now) was for taping a tube to the wall with a bucket underneath for kids to put balls through. The lady I found this from did it in her kitchen while cooking dinner to keep her youngest entertained so she could get the dinner on the table without too much fuss. I loved the idea and finally executed it upstairs. It took a few times of me showing Benjamin and Elizabeth but they caught on and had fun. Benjamin took to trying to throw the balls into the tube, unsuccessfully, but his arm for throwing is getting better. Elizabeth eventually removed the bucket and just had fun watching the balls roll across the room. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Benjamin lost interest or Elizabeth took over (I'm not sure which) and he went off to play with his Tractor book. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>&nbsp;&nbsp;</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F7im3H1Blh4/UkiqcrlqayI/AAAAAAAADoQ/aH6B98_rf2s/s1600/P9236174+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-F7im3H1Blh4/UkiqcrlqayI/AAAAAAAADoQ/aH6B98_rf2s/s320/P9236174+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="240" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>09/23/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60pS0HIaZfU/UkiqcwHVImI/AAAAAAAADoI/GGDCZgDKBws/s1600/P9236179+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-60pS0HIaZfU/UkiqcwHVImI/AAAAAAAADoI/GGDCZgDKBws/s320/P9236179+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OnRN5AooWmM/Ukiqc-ZqqiI/AAAAAAAADoM/Vvur0pDWmU4/s1600/P9236192+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OnRN5AooWmM/Ukiqc-ZqqiI/AAAAAAAADoM/Vvur0pDWmU4/s320/P9236192+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Most of the time Benjamin will not hold still for me to take a picture. I get the camera out and he will run off from what he was doing. Drives me nuts! I'm just trying to capture moments of his childhood! But then I have days where he brings me the camera and begs for me to take his picture over and over again. I love how this one turned out! His eyes sparkle! His poor lips though are still quite chapped from this dry Utah desert air. I get them almost healed and then it starts up again. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NsHs8hiTSm8/UkiqXfsKc8I/AAAAAAAADoA/BW6HqMa-u1c/s1600/P9246197+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NsHs8hiTSm8/UkiqXfsKc8I/AAAAAAAADoA/BW6HqMa-u1c/s320/P9246197+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>09/24/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>The kids watch a lot of TV. I love the days where they can find their own entertainment all day and last without having to have the TV or play on some electronic device. But unfortunately those days are far apart. Elizabeth was really needy and I could only give her so much attention so I turned on her favorite show (Mater's Tall Tales)&nbsp;and propped her up on the bed. Benjamin crawled up on the other side and decided to watch TV with her. I turned my head to check on the kids and saw the sweetest sight! They were cuddling! She wanted to be close to her brother and he was letting her! I grabbed my camera and captured the moment with a huge aaahhhh from this mother's heart!</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mK9akAJUHXI/UkiqUTx9y2I/AAAAAAAADn4/K3wMYtZ67sU/s1600/P9256207+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mK9akAJUHXI/UkiqUTx9y2I/AAAAAAAADn4/K3wMYtZ67sU/s320/P9256207+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>09/25/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Elizabeth loves to collect toys and walk around with them or put them in some type of container. For instance puff balls into a glass baby food jar or a large glass bottle. Crayons into a plastic container. Phineas and Ferb figurines. Balls. Usually she stays with a theme and wants all of the similar item together. She will get so frustrated when her hands are too full and she can't get the rest of the similar items in her hands. One morning she was in the hallway and let out a distressed cry. I went and checked on her and she was trying to collect and carry all of the puzzle pieces. I saw her issue and brought her a bucket. I put a few in and she smiled and filled it up with the rest of the pieces she wanted and then happily walked around with the bucket and her collection. It really is funny to watch her collect her toys to play with. Yesterday Jared pointed out to me that she was putting her collection in the lid of a box and then standing in it and had the biggest smile on her face. Love this little girl! In this picture I just love her blue eyes. She had brought her collection over to show me while I was working. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a2r88WTXHGk/UkiqRam-N0I/AAAAAAAADnw/BKArWUaBIIk/s1600/P9266214+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-a2r88WTXHGk/UkiqRam-N0I/AAAAAAAADnw/BKArWUaBIIk/s320/P9266214+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>09/26/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Kids these days start learning how to use technology so much younger than we used to. It comes so naturally to them and just amazes me. Jared takes our Surface to school with him each day as he has a text book or two on it and can take notes and it is very light. When he gets home Benjamin frequently drags daddy's backpack out and tries to get to the Surface. Elizabeth also loves to play with the Surface so Benjamin will jump up on the bed so he can get away from her and be out of her reach (for now). Benjamin looked so relaxed laying on the bed with the Surface propped up in his lap watching Netflix. </em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CMtWVs27IlU/UkiqOjK7ZfI/AAAAAAAADno/bowXAJ2B-PQ/s1600/P9276218+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-CMtWVs27IlU/UkiqOjK7ZfI/AAAAAAAADno/bowXAJ2B-PQ/s320/P9276218+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>09/27/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Okay so as I mentioned before I've been working on an idea for my kids. A crafting idea! A learning idea! A teaching idea! A hands on idea! I started on this project back in WA and I've been working on it slowly in my spare time (Jared always laughs when I say that). On September 11th I was able to take a picture frame and cover it with Velcro. I've been making different things for the kids to use to put on the Velcro board that they can play with and learn with. I've learned hot glueing the Velcro onto plastic is not the best method. So I will have to buy a lot more sticky backed squares of Velcro. Not too long after we moved into our new home I knew I wanted&nbsp;a space to be able to work with my kids and help them learn and play. I really want to get a little desk and chairs for them to work next to me on coloring and other projects so I can keep a close eye on them while I am working.&nbsp;This weekend I finally got my Velcro board hung along with a picture frame that is going to highlight a letter and color of the day. As I continue to put my collection together and get pictures of the kids using different things I will try to share what I have found and I am using as I have found some great free resources of women who just love to share what they are doing with their own kids! So grateful for people who are willing to share things for free and just ask that they be given the proper credit!</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bT3lWWEPOrg/UkiqKU-LcJI/AAAAAAAADnM/p1bAPrL5v60/s1600/P9286220+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bT3lWWEPOrg/UkiqKU-LcJI/AAAAAAAADnM/p1bAPrL5v60/s320/P9286220+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="240" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>09/28/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0EaOY5KMtmw/UkiqKXd6_8I/AAAAAAAADnE/fsNtxNLbjqg/s1600/P9286227+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0EaOY5KMtmw/UkiqKXd6_8I/AAAAAAAADnE/fsNtxNLbjqg/s320/P9286227+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="240" /></em></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IodhtZETAfo/UkiqKRkhSzI/AAAAAAAADnI/pcCdeg9qsio/s1600/P9286224+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IodhtZETAfo/UkiqKRkhSzI/AAAAAAAADnI/pcCdeg9qsio/s320/P9286224+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="240" /></em></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Elizabeth has become quite the book worm. Just goes to show how different children are! She loves to smile for the camera too!</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k-YY_HV52dk/UkiqK6YBPgI/AAAAAAAADnQ/HhEIxVCtQrU/s1600/P9286236+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-k-YY_HV52dk/UkiqK6YBPgI/AAAAAAAADnQ/HhEIxVCtQrU/s320/P9286236+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="320" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>09/28/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Anyways that about wraps up the last month roughly. Though I have one sneak peak I will share with you of a project I am working on that is almost finished!</em></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3b68LPNnDjU/UkiqDomQzvI/AAAAAAAADm8/K8TG4EQe3c8/s1600/P9286230+EDT+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3b68LPNnDjU/UkiqDomQzvI/AAAAAAAADm8/K8TG4EQe3c8/s320/P9286230+EDT+FBE.jpg" width="259" /></em></span></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>09/28/2013</em></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em></em></span>&nbsp;</div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-36122040657139196762013-09-29T13:59:00.001-07:002013-09-29T13:59:55.474-07:00Quick Recap and Arches National ParkIt's been 3 in a half months since I last wrote a blog! I've thought of writing many times but it has fallen to the back burner with so many things going on. Quick summary my husband was accepted to BYU in Provo, Utah and so with that we moved to Provo. We moved this summer at the beginning of August. Moving is a lot of work and when you have kids it is even more work. We are still working to unpack but the basics are pretty much out and so we are able to function. <br /><br />Being 35 weeks pregnant I only have so much energy to do anything each day. I've been blessed to have my job at Microsoft (through Accenture) continue on with me while living here in Utah. So not too much has changed for me in that I work my day, while raising our two kids and trying to keep the house maintained. I have my good days and I have my bad days. Thankfully the kids have adjusted to our new home very quickly and are having fun. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o7d1tXi68ww/UkiRT5eMyFI/AAAAAAAADk8/daXnvw66Ptc/s1600/P8245982+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-o7d1tXi68ww/UkiRT5eMyFI/AAAAAAAADk8/daXnvw66Ptc/s320/P8245982+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWst4mpwIyY/UkiRUPfgp0I/AAAAAAAADlE/Cusb_bUXNck/s1600/P8245997+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JWst4mpwIyY/UkiRUPfgp0I/AAAAAAAADlE/Cusb_bUXNck/s320/P8245997+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See what I mean! A ball of energy!<br />No problem running up the stairs!</td></tr></tbody></table>About two to three weeks of living in Utah we went over to the Arches National Park for a day trip and had a great time. We left in the early early morning hours to be sure to get there early enough to beat the heat. It was a good thing as I couldn't do too much once I got hot and even the kids became a little sluggish. The park was beautiful and even just driving through parts was amazing. We saw license plates from all over the country (we so could have played the license plate game and got most of them). <br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HBwVLakEVzk/UkiRUBke5EI/AAAAAAAADlA/04aHSBDZyO4/s1600/P8246007+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HBwVLakEVzk/UkiRUBke5EI/AAAAAAAADlA/04aHSBDZyO4/s320/P8246007+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy kept a tight grip on Benjamin<br />here. Behind them is a straight drop<br />off. One of the few times I really do<br />worry about my son getting hurt.</td></tr></tbody></table>Benjamin had a blast! He is just one great ball of energy that is hard to keep up with at times. With going so early in the morning we hope the kids would sleep. Ha! Benjamin stayed awake for most of the drive over kicking Daddy in the back of the seat, flapping his arms in excitement and babbling non-stop. He knew we were going somewhere and anytime we leave at odd hours or pack up a bunch of stuff he knows we are going to have an adventure. <br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zw8eDZK1qow/UkiRVOGaI6I/AAAAAAAADlQ/jnkQJIRm6NQ/s1600/P8246036+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Zw8eDZK1qow/UkiRVOGaI6I/AAAAAAAADlQ/jnkQJIRm6NQ/s320/P8246036+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="240" /></a><br /><br />We found our favorite arch with the kids was in this canyon&nbsp;where it was shaded, breezy, and had&nbsp;lots of beautiful red sand for the kids to play with. I was reminded again that Benjamin gets his adventurous spirit from no less than his Father. Daddy decided to climb up on top of one of the arches just for the heck of it. He almost made it to the top when some people showed up so he got down so he wouldn't ruin their pictures. He climbed a few other places and Benjamin was bound and determined to not be left behind. Elizabeth and I were content to be left behind and just chill and play with the sand. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjI4w_NwHaU/UkiRVAsOdkI/AAAAAAAADlc/w03qVb98XYk/s1600/P8246040+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mjI4w_NwHaU/UkiRVAsOdkI/AAAAAAAADlc/w03qVb98XYk/s320/P8246040+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mt0sbnLDxIc/UkiRU9ZVycI/AAAAAAAADlM/IPq5Ce4lzRU/s1600/P8246032+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Mt0sbnLDxIc/UkiRU9ZVycI/AAAAAAAADlM/IPq5Ce4lzRU/s320/P8246032+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FYI...this park is not meant for strollers. We ditched it.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uGNRQHeME1c/UkiRVxGBtHI/AAAAAAAADlk/44iJEylTDQM/s1600/P8246053+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uGNRQHeME1c/UkiRVxGBtHI/AAAAAAAADlk/44iJEylTDQM/s320/P8246053+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mommy, Elizabeth and Benjamin under Sand Dune Arch.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rjUSXoHvmBQ/UkiRXBs7TiI/AAAAAAAADl8/FWKhuJw_n5Y/s1600/P8246064+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rjUSXoHvmBQ/UkiRXBs7TiI/AAAAAAAADl8/FWKhuJw_n5Y/s320/P8246064+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy getting up to climb on top of Sand Dune Arch. Getting up there was easier than getting down.</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7bkUq1peflY/UkiRXex_iWI/AAAAAAAADmE/D1iZ56ghbfc/s1600/P8246107+EDT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7bkUq1peflY/UkiRXex_iWI/AAAAAAAADmE/D1iZ56ghbfc/s320/P8246107+EDT.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daddy climbing other areas just because he can!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2qEwO_ipsKE/UkiRXOt0SDI/AAAAAAAADmA/PjNL-G25peA/s1600/P8246075+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2qEwO_ipsKE/UkiRXOt0SDI/AAAAAAAADmA/PjNL-G25peA/s320/P8246075+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Benjamin just wanting to keep up with Daddy!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_WaSEXZsEE/UkiRVnaeWkI/AAAAAAAADls/bfqhsuZoBwg/s1600/P8246048+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Y_WaSEXZsEE/UkiRVnaeWkI/AAAAAAAADls/bfqhsuZoBwg/s320/P8246048+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth so happy and content to play with sand and rocks!</td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p4XOCbKuTAo/UkiQ8ZjmnJI/AAAAAAAADk0/cZVj9HMFncg/s1600/P8246144+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-p4XOCbKuTAo/UkiQ8ZjmnJI/AAAAAAAADk0/cZVj9HMFncg/s320/P8246144+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double Arch</td></tr></tbody></table>It was a long day but one that was definitely worth it! Everyone had a great time and it was wonderful to witness the beauty of the earth that we live on that God created for our enjoyment. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDqMWRZfdqk/UkiRYCmuIMI/AAAAAAAADmM/ujF9uhoG3Q0/s1600/P8246113+EDT_FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-UDqMWRZfdqk/UkiRYCmuIMI/AAAAAAAADmM/ujF9uhoG3Q0/s320/P8246113+EDT_FBE.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-18799145943101578322013-06-15T21:02:00.002-07:002013-06-15T21:02:24.668-07:00Elizabeth Turns 1My little girl turned 1 today! I cannot believe it has been a year already. There's been so many high moments with her and a few lows mostly to do with that high pitched scream. I've loved watching her relationship with Benjamin blossom. I really hope they are close and have a great brother and sister relationship. <br /><br />Elizabeth is in the middle of cutting 4 teeth all on the top. She has been a trooper. She can walk a step or two at a time but mostly wants to crawl as it's faster and more comfortable. Though she has taken up to 5 steps and the other day she was walking with our kids toy plunger as a cane. It was pretty hilarious. <br /><br />So of course today I took pictures of her! I had fun taking them in her room that I recently decorated. I know just in time to take down and pack up for our move to Utah. <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MCyMuboufxc/Ub04YzvsVxI/AAAAAAAADkg/MboMsC5P8fs/s1600/P6155791+EDT_edited-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MCyMuboufxc/Ub04YzvsVxI/AAAAAAAADkg/MboMsC5P8fs/s320/P6155791+EDT_edited-1.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We celebrated Elizabeth's birthday at one of our families favorite parks and had a great time with family and friends. I feel so loved and so blessed by my family and friends and so grateful to be a mom!</div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-67378748786210093392013-06-03T19:59:00.001-07:002013-06-03T19:59:42.128-07:00A Late Birthday Card Blowing In<div style="text-align: center;"><em>The elements were working against me in making this card. My printer was out of ink and then wouldn't work when I got new ink cartridges. I wanted to make it for my son Benjamin's birthday last week but it just didn't happen. So here it is a few days late. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTxV5En2wiY/Ua1X8gCCasI/AAAAAAAADkQ/WnV9ShczN1Y/s1600/Benjamin's+3rd+Birthday+Card.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="216" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NTxV5En2wiY/Ua1X8gCCasI/AAAAAAAADkQ/WnV9ShczN1Y/s320/Benjamin's+3rd+Birthday+Card.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I saw the challenge for this card with bubbles on </em><a href="http://hambochallenges.blogspot.com/2013/05/weve-got-great-chemistry.html" target="_blank"><em>Hambo Hoedown</em></a><em> and inspiration just hit me. Benjamin loves bubbles. </em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-72791085525088826602013-05-26T20:22:00.000-07:002013-05-26T20:22:52.842-07:00Thoughts on Words<em> </em><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>There are so many thoughts rolling around in my head these days. Work is busy like always, Jared is busy finishing up his Associates degree in the next few weeks. Benjamin is as active as an almost three year old can be and loves to run and jump and climb as much as ever. Elizabeth is almost a year old and could walk if she trusted herself but she does stairs pretty darn well. We are moving in August which I’m torn on in several ways. Excited to try something new, nervous about making new friends, grateful I can take my job with me to Utah and watching the days go by and trying not to process too much about how I feel about leaving close friends and family behind for two years. </em></div><em> </em><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>But the number one thing at the top of my mind lately is relationships and how we treat each other. The age old adage of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” rings out at the top of my mind. It has been plaguing me as I have wanted to lash out and hurt someone intentionally as they have hurt me. Yet when I think of things I could do I know I’m not following my Savior’s example and doing what He would have me do. </em></div><em> </em><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>A young woman from church recently posted the below quote online that I love and I am very familiar with: “Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.” (</em><a href="http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2000/10/the-joy-of-womanhood?lang=eng" target="_blank"><em>The Joy of Womanhood</em></a><em> Margaret D. Nadauld)</em></div><em> </em><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>With these two quotes rolling around in my head I realize I need to forgive the offense I have taken and be a woman who is kind and tender. It is certainly not easy but I know it’s the right thing to do. Today at church the two adult speakers both said or shared something that stuck out to me along this topic. Brother Randy Durham shared how we have two ears that are inputs, two eyes which are inputs and two nostrils which are again inputs, yet we only have one mouth with is an output from our brain (yes I know it has its inputs too but that’s irrelevant to this point). This brother’s comment after pointing these items out about the human head was that as such we should listen and observe twice as much and speak half as much. We need to be aware and cautious of the words coming out of our mouth. And Sister Wendy Carroll also shared similar thoughts about being mindful of the words coming out of our mouths and sometimes even more so the tone in which we say them. </em></div><em> </em><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>Words are powerful. They can give hope, love, comfort, safety, inspiration and guidance. But they can also break hearts, give offense and be used to harm and hurt others. I’ve been slowly learning this lesson over the past year (and I am sure longer). Once words have left your mouth you can’t take them back. Especially words that you didn’t mean for someone else to hear, others can and will unfortunately share your words and they make it back to certain parties whom you never wanted to hear it. What has this lesson taught me? “If you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.” </em></div><em> </em><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>There is something interesting about women. You get a few of them together and they are bound to gossip about other women (and men). Why is this? Why do we tear one another down? We all have faults. A story from the scriptures comes to mind when the Savior has a woman brought before Him who was caught in adultery. What does He do? What does He say? How does He judge her? “Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not. So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee? She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” (</em><a href="http://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/8.32?lang=eng" target="_blank"><em>St. John 8:6-11</em></a><em>)</em></div><em> </em><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpMiddle" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><em>Jesus has set the ultimate example. We are to love one another and we are to not judge one another. I strongly believe that we were given our mouths to uplift one another and love one another. Does it make it easy? No! I am just as guilty but I am trying. I am so grateful for my Savior’s example of love and forgiveness. I cannot express my gratitude enough for His atonement that helps me to forgive others and be forgiven of my shortcomings. </em></div><em> </em>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-22739197874142374422013-05-09T20:45:00.001-07:002013-05-09T20:45:55.239-07:00Mother's Day CardMother's day is just around the corner! I saw a blog this week with a card challenge using a sketch. I fell in love with it and decided I could make a mother's day card for my mom. I worked on it off and on all day today and it is finally done though it probably won't make it on time as it's still at my house and not in the mail. I am notoriously horrible at mailing things. Thankfully I have a wonderful mother who doesn't care and loves me regardless of my shortcomings in the mailing items department. <br /><br />The blog I found is <a href="http://bmd-creations.blogspot.com/">http://bmd-creations.blogspot.com/</a>&nbsp;Bearly Mine Designs! Super cute stuff over there. She designs papers that you can print for making cards or scrapbooking. I fell in love and while poking around I found she has a card challenge blog too! <a href="http://bearlymine-challenges.blogspot.com/">http://bearlymine-challenges.blogspot.com/</a> <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gxnZJbsaKj4/UYxszyHUu-I/AAAAAAAADjk/7JObtoc6eiw/s1600/P5095651+FBE+EDT.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="305" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gxnZJbsaKj4/UYxszyHUu-I/AAAAAAAADjk/7JObtoc6eiw/s320/P5095651+FBE+EDT.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />So I am entering my card for my darling mother in this <a href="http://bearlymine-challenges.blogspot.com/2013/05/sketch-time-challenge-85.html" target="_blank">Sketch Card Challenge</a> . I used a few of her papers that I felt were just perfect for my mother when I found them in the first place!Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-57533302871809085772013-03-13T11:07:00.002-07:002013-03-13T11:07:30.373-07:00Lessons in Motherhood - Cherish the Crazy Moments<span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Work is crazy! Pull my hair out or it will fall out on it's own kind of crazy right now! As I was sitting in my chair this morning trying to get some work done Elizabeth crawled over to me and climbed up my chair and started doing some high pitched singing. It quickly turned into I'm angry cries and I want you to hold me mom. I was in the middle of something though and I got frustrated and I lost my cool (I hate to admit it). I yelled at my precious almost 9 month old daughter who knows know other way to communicate than through crying. I felt guilty for yelling so as I moved my laptop out of the way and scooped up Elizabeth I said "It sure would be nice to have some peace and quiet for a minute." And as soon as I said the words my heart got heavy and I started to apologize.</span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I would rather have my ears hurt from my daughter screaming than have to deal with the heartache of her being gone. On Sunday a speaker in our ward at church shared a part of a conference talk that touched my heart when I first heard it and again on Sunday. </span><br /><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p22"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p22"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“One night our little son Richard, who had a heart problem, awoke crying. … Normally my wife always got up to take care of a <span class="highlight" id="searchQueryTerm">crying baby</span>, but this time I said, ‘I’ll take care of him.’</span></em></div><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p23"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Because of his problem, when he began to cry, his little heart would pound very rapidly. He would throw up and soil the bed clothing. That night I held him very close to try to calm his racing heart and stop his crying as I changed his clothes and put on new bedsheets. I held him until he went to sleep. I didn’t know then that just a few months later he would pass away. I will always remember holding him in my arms in the middle of that night.” (</span></em><a href="http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve?lang=eng&amp;query=crying+baby" target="_blank"><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First Observe, Then Serve</span></em></a><em><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">)</span></em></div><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p23"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p23"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As I wished I could recall the words I had just said I was reminded of this story and how precious life is and we never know when will be the last time we hug or hold our children...say I love you, hide under a blanket together, fall asleep together watching TV. </span></div><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p23"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>&nbsp;</div><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p23"><span style="font-family: &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So my lesson in motherhood today is that we need to cherish the moments with our children even when they are driving us crazy. They are young and innocent children who just want our attention. And no matter how crazy my work is my children are always more important even though the pressure put on me sometimes makes me think otherwise. I'm so grateful to be a mom and to have children to care for and messes to clean up and owies to comfort. </span></div><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p23">&nbsp;</div><div uri="/general-conference/2012/10/first-observe-then-serve.p23"><span style="font-family: Arial;">How did the morning end you might ask? I held Elizabeth for maybe 5 minutes and nursed her and she fell asleep. She was asking for just a little bit of my time.</span>&nbsp;</div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-71596402255740250972013-02-18T11:36:00.001-08:002013-02-18T11:36:08.194-08:00Who's Smarter?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T2PrC_6qHE4/USKBcKHpO5I/AAAAAAAADiM/B0IbrtQSNJA/s1600/PB164571+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T2PrC_6qHE4/USKBcKHpO5I/AAAAAAAADiM/B0IbrtQSNJA/s320/PB164571+FBE.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11/16/2012</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Benjamin is obsessed with our smart phones. Most fits being thrown at our house is due to a smart phone either being taken from him or not given to him. I'm so amazed at how my 2 1/2 year old can navigate our smart phones and figure things out. He enjoys playing angry birds and can actually beat a level or two. He has figured out how to go out to youtube.com and watch various angry bird videos. I finally know how he does it. I sure do love my Nokia Lumia 920 and love that the windows phone has a 'Kids Corner' to limit what he can do on my phone. But seriously my son is better at working my 'smart' phone than I am some days.</em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-71131590192343209822013-02-18T11:29:00.001-08:002013-02-18T11:31:43.746-08:00A Photo Shoot for Two<em>I had fun doing a photo shoot (11/14/2012). Different outfits! And tons of photos! I look 108 pictures of&nbsp;Elizabeth and then once done with Benjamin a total of 124. If you want to see the write up from Elizabeth's 5 months go <a href="http://emilysworldofthoughts.blogspot.com/2012/12/elizabeth-at-5-months.html" target="_blank">here</a>. </em><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XW5_xyyOi_M/USKAmokCO7I/AAAAAAAADhM/na3nT17-hUc/s1600/PB154463+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XW5_xyyOi_M/USKAmokCO7I/AAAAAAAADhM/na3nT17-hUc/s320/PB154463+FBE.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z0ngIExL0Q/USKAoQPFmhI/AAAAAAAADhU/O-P41FymzLU/s1600/PB154477+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1Z0ngIExL0Q/USKAoQPFmhI/AAAAAAAADhU/O-P41FymzLU/s320/PB154477+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KB79MEVvK44/USKAqJi7hjI/AAAAAAAADhc/q1m30l5erjM/s1600/PB154485+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-KB79MEVvK44/USKAqJi7hjI/AAAAAAAADhc/q1m30l5erjM/s320/PB154485+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mV-9Djc75wI/USKAtjlzkaI/AAAAAAAADhk/Pq1TA9TtDJA/s1600/PB154518+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mV-9Djc75wI/USKAtjlzkaI/AAAAAAAADhk/Pq1TA9TtDJA/s320/PB154518+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1VIKiyOMP-4/USKAviIjN9I/AAAAAAAADhs/aQJQYacE4v0/s1600/PB154524+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1VIKiyOMP-4/USKAviIjN9I/AAAAAAAADhs/aQJQYacE4v0/s320/PB154524+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-keI-yjGnQFQ/USKAxeYkK8I/AAAAAAAADh0/YQlT5f5Fnxw/s1600/PB154534+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-keI-yjGnQFQ/USKAxeYkK8I/AAAAAAAADh0/YQlT5f5Fnxw/s320/PB154534+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>&nbsp;<em>After I was done doing Elizabeth's pictures and she fell asleep Benjamin jumped up onto the couch. I had to grab the camera. He is such a handsome boy and does the cutest things. But of course if mommy grabs the camera it means time to run. I had to put him back on the couch a few times to get these pictures. </em><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VF4S8oqzyhs/USKAzLC1quI/AAAAAAAADh8/lebkJEplLP4/s1600/PB154563+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VF4S8oqzyhs/USKAzLC1quI/AAAAAAAADh8/lebkJEplLP4/s320/PB154563+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w0-EIGHG1sI/USKA2l6oqoI/AAAAAAAADiE/Aayx5y7p8LI/s1600/PB154568+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w0-EIGHG1sI/USKA2l6oqoI/AAAAAAAADiE/Aayx5y7p8LI/s320/PB154568+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><em></em><br />Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-38398234130618932262013-02-18T11:08:00.002-08:002013-02-18T11:08:22.272-08:00More Than a Week<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Going to run through a little more than a week's worth of pictures.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Benjamin enjoys lining cars up. Here he has his monster truck and monster tractor. I love this boy!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qkg-wQXWnQM/USJ6jp61mFI/AAAAAAAADfk/uQkVCNrBkiA/s1600/PB054382+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qkg-wQXWnQM/USJ6jp61mFI/AAAAAAAADfk/uQkVCNrBkiA/s320/PB054382+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Q57Wj9Hs9M/USJ6kzeF5nI/AAAAAAAADfs/6kmS7Km0V8U/s1600/PB054383+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Q57Wj9Hs9M/USJ6kzeF5nI/AAAAAAAADfs/6kmS7Km0V8U/s320/PB054383+FBE.jpg" width="240" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>11/05/2012</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I enjoy letting Benjamin "help" me with the dishes. I wind up cleaning the floors but we have a good time doing a chore together so you can't go wrong.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nilro3BBRdU/USJ6qM17s9I/AAAAAAAADgE/187vzEqqCo4/s1600/PB074394+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nilro3BBRdU/USJ6qM17s9I/AAAAAAAADgE/187vzEqqCo4/s320/PB074394+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZRglhcPoWw/USJ6mq0gcuI/AAAAAAAADf0/BOcMWCn-pms/s1600/PB074390+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZRglhcPoWw/USJ6mq0gcuI/AAAAAAAADf0/BOcMWCn-pms/s320/PB074390+FBE.jpg" width="240" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>11/07/2012</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Elizabeth keeps us company from her jumper.&nbsp;</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iHWBkWMLXCg/USJ6oo0t1TI/AAAAAAAADf8/jvwoUFP6rtM/s1600/PB074392+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iHWBkWMLXCg/USJ6oo0t1TI/AAAAAAAADf8/jvwoUFP6rtM/s320/PB074392+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>After the chores were done Benjamin crashed hard on the floor.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMLqwrA4nhI/USJ6vxc62mI/AAAAAAAADgM/Wlap9yOht9s/s1600/PB074406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lMLqwrA4nhI/USJ6vxc62mI/AAAAAAAADgM/Wlap9yOht9s/s320/PB074406.JPG" width="320" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>11/07/2012</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Working from home is a huge blessing but with it comes some challenges. Kids who want mommy and only mommy, kids playing upstairs and not downstairs, kids yelling during a conference call, kids wanting to be held, kids climbing and jumping on me. Some days I feel like I don't get anything done but then I would be missing out on moments like this of Benjamin jumping for joy while watching a show on the computer. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BefbOc_Hu4s/USJ6yXI1P7I/AAAAAAAADgk/CdXlrsE5cdU/s1600/PB094424+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BefbOc_Hu4s/USJ6yXI1P7I/AAAAAAAADgk/CdXlrsE5cdU/s320/PB094424+FBE.jpg" width="240" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>11/09/2012</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I do have to get creative though and so I can be found working from home all over my home. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M_16SAA4kX0/USJ6wJ5pKoI/AAAAAAAADgQ/WIhNzbnTNSM/s1600/PB094421+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M_16SAA4kX0/USJ6wJ5pKoI/AAAAAAAADgQ/WIhNzbnTNSM/s320/PB094421+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ReWjV5adb5Q/USJ6xMLktwI/AAAAAAAADgc/9J46lgLlDjc/s1600/PB094422+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ReWjV5adb5Q/USJ6xMLktwI/AAAAAAAADgc/9J46lgLlDjc/s320/PB094422+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Elizabeth in a beautiful dress with her daddy trying to hide behind her. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--G5PwzFaBZg/USJ60UD8OjI/AAAAAAAADgs/LIf5FWtzMYo/s1600/PB114430+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--G5PwzFaBZg/USJ60UD8OjI/AAAAAAAADgs/LIf5FWtzMYo/s320/PB114430+FBE.jpg" width="240" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>11/11/2012</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>You just have to have fun with your children! Yes, yes that is Elizabeth's jeggings' on top of her head. After the jegging's Jared put his beanie hat on her head. It was pretty funny. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AxiT7zNX5MM/USJ63PODWiI/AAAAAAAADg0/62cBYi8noEM/s1600/PB144433+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AxiT7zNX5MM/USJ63PODWiI/AAAAAAAADg0/62cBYi8noEM/s320/PB144433+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_17InXi75-c/USJ64RFuUgI/AAAAAAAADg8/bGfk85cynKs/s1600/PB144437+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_17InXi75-c/USJ64RFuUgI/AAAAAAAADg8/bGfk85cynKs/s320/PB144437+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bIRYPXFIlzs/USJ65e9iBbI/AAAAAAAADhE/_YQSAYP_Z0k/s1600/PB144440+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bIRYPXFIlzs/USJ65e9iBbI/AAAAAAAADhE/_YQSAYP_Z0k/s320/PB144440+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em>11/14/2012</em></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-32780580910492687202013-02-18T10:40:00.001-08:002013-02-18T10:40:54.389-08:00A Family That Plays Together<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv7aDDpjdiE/USJ1ClRbgKI/AAAAAAAADfc/4mAkNYPYhYM/s1600/1104+Tummy+and+Family+Time+Grid+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="319" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Cv7aDDpjdiE/USJ1ClRbgKI/AAAAAAAADfc/4mAkNYPYhYM/s320/1104+Tummy+and+Family+Time+Grid+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div align="center"><em>November 4th, 2012</em></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><em>﻿</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Another lazy Sunday afternoon. We love them! A little lunch time and then adjorn to the living room to relax, hang out and watch our kids. Elizabeth played on her tummy some. Benjamin ran around and played with&nbsp;his daddy. These moments of Benjamin and Daddy tickling and laughing is wonderful. And trying to get both kids to look at the camera is pretty much impossible. Elizabeth is so in love with her brother. She gets the biggest smile when he gets near her. I love how Benjamin will lay on his stomach and rest his head on one hand. They are seriously some of my favorite poses from him that are completely natural (I just have to be quick with the camera).</em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-23488251327775325862013-02-18T09:58:00.001-08:002013-02-18T09:58:48.366-08:00Making Time to Can<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Well I am not as far behind as I thought I was on Saturday when talking to a friend. I am only 3 1/2 months behind. Which is fine...it doesn't stress me out too much. I have several of my blogs written out already so I didn't forget the memories which is the whole point of posting a 'few' pictures and writing the memories so when I get around to finally scrapbooking I have something to look at to spark my memory and have journal entries to add to my scrapbook. I realized though that I am spending a ton of time on pictures which is a good thing as I am working on a new talent but at the same time it's delaying me from getting my blogs done. Plus I am also trying to post more than a 'few' pictures so that adds to the time as well. So I am going to limit the number of pictures for the most part so that maybe I can close the gap and stay closer to being up to date with my blog. If I don't oh well, I still enjoying writing and sharing things and keeping my memories and thoughts documented. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>So back in October I bought 4 boxes of apples (a bit hasty as 1.5 were still in my garage in January). I feel it's a bit unfair as my busy season at work picks up as the harvesting season picks up. Which makes it hard for me to get all the cannning done as I wish but I keep trying. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvnGTKot-kU/USJqLfuCdhI/AAAAAAAADdg/z1oIVBgVpEg/s1600/PB034295+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vvnGTKot-kU/USJqLfuCdhI/AAAAAAAADdg/z1oIVBgVpEg/s320/PB034295+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I laid out a bunch of apples (11/03/12)&nbsp;and went to town making my first batch of applesauce. Benjamin enjoying handing out with me in the kitchen like normal. I don't remember why he is crying in this picture but I am sure it was tragic. </em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>The applesauce turned out great and smelled amazing. The texture is really smooth like baby food my husband told me. I enjoyed it immensly. And I like being able to control the sugar contect and texture. I know others like it really chunky but I prefer the smoothness of it and now I know how to make some baby food. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qWKty20d9Go/USJqO_KcNXI/AAAAAAAADdo/i6HkfB7GLpo/s1600/PB034300+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qWKty20d9Go/USJqO_KcNXI/AAAAAAAADdo/i6HkfB7GLpo/s320/PB034300+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Speaking of babies here is mine fast asleep. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-anhZefEE3P4/USJqQVrxBzI/AAAAAAAADd4/Yu0PSa0s8_8/s1600/PB034302+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-anhZefEE3P4/USJqQVrxBzI/AAAAAAAADd4/Yu0PSa0s8_8/s320/PB034302+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Briefly! The blender helped to wake her right up. I had her in on the dinning table so I should have known it would wake her up. But sometimes she sleeps through everything. </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u5VHiPv6ifg/USJqRwaXm7I/AAAAAAAADeA/1_DMTMVWXD0/s1600/PB034305+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-u5VHiPv6ifg/USJqRwaXm7I/AAAAAAAADeA/1_DMTMVWXD0/s320/PB034305+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hph4UCdau_U/USJqUGgMv3I/AAAAAAAADeI/4UQJ_lQukTs/s1600/PB034316+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hph4UCdau_U/USJqUGgMv3I/AAAAAAAADeI/4UQJ_lQukTs/s320/PB034316+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Elizabeth is not a fan of tummy time. She will tolerate it for short bits but really wants to be upright seeing everything going on around her. At this point in these pictures you can tell she is learning how to keep her balance (at 4 1/2 months) on her own. Daddy is very close by as we watch her sit up and wobble over. Sometimes she would fall over and land on her tummy.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IsWE-wl56IM/USJqW0yLiiI/AAAAAAAADeQ/XgzObsIyuZA/s1600/PB034329+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-IsWE-wl56IM/USJqW0yLiiI/AAAAAAAADeQ/XgzObsIyuZA/s320/PB034329+FBE.jpg" width="240" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I love this photo of Elizabeth with her daddy's big hands. I back in December that my husband gets his large hands from his Opa (his mother's dad). There's just something about it that touches&nbsp;my heart. </em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-28052456152380981632013-02-11T10:27:00.000-08:002013-02-11T10:27:04.513-08:00The Fashion Guru<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Daddy is the fashion guru in our house. Since having Elizabeth I've really come to know this. He will tie everything together...the pacifier, the bow, the socks...I mean everything. Now we don't have pacifiers in every color but he picks the best one that compliments the outfit. I'm not too proud to admit I frequently ask my husband to dress me, though my closet doesn't give him much to work with.</em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;(<strike>Need to do some shopping!</strike> Shopping done! Thanks to my mother in law!) </em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w_ZuOLkormU/URk3k8m9UdI/AAAAAAAADcM/lehZcWqBEEw/s1600/PB014280.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-w_ZuOLkormU/URk3k8m9UdI/AAAAAAAADcM/lehZcWqBEEw/s320/PB014280.JPG" width="320" /></em></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>&nbsp;</em></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gL00LygEAxE/URk3mtg6LuI/AAAAAAAADcU/SYCJtWsXQ2g/s320/PB014285.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">11/01/2012</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Elizabeth doesn't like to get dressed. You would think by now she would be used to it but alas no. It's mostly onseies going over her head and putting something long sleeved on. Her daddy tells her frequently though that when she looks back at her baby pictures she will say it was worth it.</em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-77452922498653806072013-02-11T10:20:00.000-08:002013-02-11T10:27:27.399-08:00A Little Chicken<div style="text-align: center;"><em>There's a family in our ward at church that has 2 boys and once they are through with their clothes (as they are a little older than Benjamin) they bag them up and bring them over. I've probably mentioned this before but it is such a huge blessing! In one of the bags we even got Halloween costumes! Which was fantastic as I had been working crazy hours and while I wanted to do something fun I just didn't have the time or energy. I put Benjamin in a Chicken or Rooster costume. </em></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RYrJkalgOfA/URk157bSLcI/AAAAAAAADbE/RAIWxVIXegg/s1600/Benajmin+Halloween+1031+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RYrJkalgOfA/URk157bSLcI/AAAAAAAADbE/RAIWxVIXegg/s320/Benajmin+Halloween+1031+FBE.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween 10/31/2012</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><em></em>&nbsp;<em>It was a bit snug but Benjamin seemed to enjoy it. We went to our churches Halloween activity and he lost patience for the outfit so it came off. So he was kind of a lame trick or treater but he totally got into the idea of going from vehicle to vehicle getting candy from everyone. I had forgotten a bag or bucket so we wound up collecting it into mommy's pockets.</em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-49503035630954472592013-02-11T10:12:00.000-08:002013-02-11T10:27:47.487-08:00Remaking Angels<div style="text-align: center;"><em>They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Depending on what's being imitated I would agree. In the following instance I was flattered! </em></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3LIAlsjQCgQ/URk0K2_XfrI/AAAAAAAADa0/ziadDfqDuns/s1600/1030+Benjamin+Crafting+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3LIAlsjQCgQ/URk0K2_XfrI/AAAAAAAADa0/ziadDfqDuns/s320/1030+Benjamin+Crafting+FBE.jpg" width="314" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10/30/2012</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Benjamin had watched me make some angels in my craft room. The next day he was up on my crafting table imitating what I had done (don't worry the glue gun is cold...I do try to be very careful with my different crafting tools and keep them out of his reach or make sure they are safe). He had so much fun playing that I just let him keep going. Elizabeth was in the room with us too playing on the floor. I do enjoy hanging out in my craft room with my kids! I wish I had more time to do it!</em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1155980737654882783.post-21603714944864287112013-02-04T17:28:00.000-08:002013-02-04T17:28:12.239-08:00Sleeping like a doll<div style="text-align: center;"><em>Elizabeth was taking almost all of her naps in her car seat. She had gotten a cold and couldn't handle sleeping while lying down, so we started having her sleep in her car set so the phlegm would drain. She seemed to like it after that so we just kept her in her car seat. We would fold up one blanket to pad her bottom and then we added our nice soft and fluffy Winnie the Pooh blanket. We had bought it with our crib set when we had Benjamin. It was neutral for boy or girl. </em></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iT4k2iom4Wk/URBfRM6kpRI/AAAAAAAADZo/hGkbYUHcRcc/s320/PA294260+EDT+FBE.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="240" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">10/29/2012</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-iT4k2iom4Wk/URBfRM6kpRI/AAAAAAAADZo/hGkbYUHcRcc/s1600/PA294260+EDT+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em></em></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>Anyways so here is Elizabeth taking a nap next to me at the desk. Napping next to me at the desk could be risky though because of her older brother. Sometimes she sleeps through his energy explosions but other times she can't. </em></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-goiRBhMbJnE/URBfP5Wi3EI/AAAAAAAADZg/cbJH2Kcn12A/s320/PA294256+EDT+FBE.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I did edit these with my new skills from my friend Nichole.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-goiRBhMbJnE/URBfP5Wi3EI/AAAAAAAADZg/cbJH2Kcn12A/s1600/PA294256+EDT+FBE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><em></em></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em>I do love these pictures of her sleeping....so angelic. </em></div>Emily's Worldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12456207026345115023noreply@blogger.com0